Racket with resilient surfaces



Dec. 22, 1964 PETR; 3,162,443

RACKEI WITH RESILIENT SURFACES Filed July 6, 1962 /N VEN TOR .ZJA 1/11: A. E R

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United States Patent 3 162,443 RACKET Willi-I RESELIENT SURFAQES David Arthur Petri, Risiughoime Heathiield, England Filed July 6, 1962, Ser. No. Zi)7,951 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-73) The invention relates to rackets, battledores and similar appliances of the kind intended for use in ball and allied games.

The invention has as its obiect the provision of new or improved rackets, battledores and similar appliances of stout, yet lightweight, construction whose playing surfaces are resilient, weatherproof and robust, so that the appliances are capable of rough use throughout their life without impairing their resiliency and effectiveness.

According to the invention the appliances broadly comprise a handle terminating in a blade or playing area formed by a hoop frame or portion whose intervening space is occupied by a sheet or sheets or filling of resilient material, the said blade and filling being enclosed within or surrounded by a cover or casing of suitable flexible material or fabric.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a front view of a racket according to the invention, part of the cover and one filling member being cut away to reveal the construction.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan on the line 11-11 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 4 and 5 are cross-sections of modified kinds of filling members for rackets and similar appliances constructed according to the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional side view of a fragmental portion of a racket according to a modification of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional side view of a fragment of a racket according to the invention, illustrating one kind of means for controlling flow of air to and from the interior of the racket.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The appliance consists of a frame having a handle 1 terminating in a hoop or closed looped end or blade 2. This could be composed of a spoon-shaped piece of plywood from whose enlarged end there has been cut a circular piece of the material.

Thus there is provided a circular opening which opening is filled with a correspondingly shaped sheet of foamed or cellular rubber, polyurethene or other suitable resilient material 3 of thickness corresponding to that of the plywood. The member 3 is thereafter sandwiched between two more pieces of appropriately shaped resilient material 4 which preferably overlap the hoop portion 2, see FIG- URES l and 2. Members 3 and 4 may be adhered together and to the racket, if desired.

Instead of utilising three filling members as stated a single member 3 may be employed (see FIGURE 4) cut or moulded with a perimetral groove 6 for coacting with the hooped part of the frame, and if desired, the surfaces of the said member could be slightly concave and the "ice member either adhered to the racket or frictionally held.

In a still further example of filling member (see FIG- URE S) the same may be in two parts 3 and 4 one part (3) having a reduced portion for insertion into the looped part of a racket frame, the part 4 being located at the other side of the frame and adhered thereto and to the part 3 if desired.

When the blade has been fitted with the resilient filling as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, a closely fitting cover 5, composed of any desired material such as fabric coated with synthetic material, plastics film, leather or sheet rubber, is secured in position to enclose that part of the racket. The cover may be in two identical parts overlapped and adhered at the perimeter of the blade with the overlapping edges concealed by an adhered binding strip of material 6. The juncture of the said cover and strip with the handle 1 may be concealed by another binding 7 which may be additionally secured by drugget pins 8.

Preferably formed in the cover are orifices 9 intended for ingress and egress of air to the interior of the cover.

Should it be desired to control the air flow to and from the interior of the cover the orifices may be provided with valves. One form of valve means is clearly shown in FIGURE 7 and consists of detachable plugs 10 adapted to coact with the orifices 9in this instance provided with eyelets-and with bores 12 in the racket frame. By closing one or more of the orifices with plugs the speed of air passage to and from the racket can be controlled or predetermined to suit the user.

When rackets according to the invention are in use there is created a pneumatic action during impact of a ball with the blade in such a manner that the service or return delivery of the ball is somewhat dependent upon the speed of air emission from the orifices in the cover.

Instead of plywood frames, the latter may be composed of metal, see FIGURE 6, or of any other suitable material and in all instances the grip portion of the handle is preferably enlarged and wrapped with suitable material 13.

I claim:

A racket comprising a frame having a handle and a hoop or closed looped end which is provided with a filling of resilient material, both said looped end and filling being enclosed by a flexible cover, said cover being formed with orifices therein for ingress and egress of air to and from the interior, bores in said frame registering with said orifices, and said orifices being provided with valve means in the form of detachable plugs adapted to coact with the orifices and with said registering bores in the said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,617,243 Flanagan Feb. 8, 1927 2,987,317 Acevedo June 6, 1961 3,048,399 Breitbach Aug. 7, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,401 Australia May 26, 1947 962,323 France Dec. 5, 1949 

